This week’s topic is an interesting one. I had a hard time coming up with a specific topic for this, but in the end I decided to go with books to read if you like magical realism, because it’s something I really enjoy. (If you’re not sure quite what magical realism is, it’s a literary style of writing fiction where magical or fantasy elements are incorporated into an otherwise realistic narrative. It’s particularly common to Latin American writing.)
Books featuring magical realism I recommend:
Like Water for Chocolate – Laura Esquivel
The House of the Spirits and Eva Luna by Isabel Allende
The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow – Rita Leganski
One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel García Márquez
The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
Swamplandia! – Karen Russell
Jitterbug Perfume, Skinny Legs and All and Another Roadside Attraction – Tom Robbins
Books I haven’t read yet but have heard great things about and that feature magical realism:
The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern
Chocolat – Joanne Harris
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore – Robin Sloan
The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Of Things Gone Astray – Janina Matthewson
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake – Aimee Bender
The Lost – Sarah Beth Durst
I Crawl Through It – A.S. King
Life of Pi – Yann Martel
So there you have it – whether you’re a fan of magical realism or looking for a place to start, this list should give you some ideas!
Your turn – are there any books I missed? Do you see any favourites among these? Share in the comments!
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly link-up feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week TTT has a different topic, and everyone who links up has to create a link of ten items that fit that topic. To see past and upcoming topics, go here.
I loved The Night Circus! You should definitely check it out!
Yaaaassssss! I love, love, LOVE magical realism. I’ve never understood people who hate it! The Night Circus and The Shadow of the Wind are two of my favorites, and I have Chocolat, Life of Pi, The Alchemist and 100 Years of Solitude on my bookshelf just waiting to be read.
You really need to read The Shadow of the Wind. By the time I got to the end of it I was wondering why I’d put off reading it for so long.
I’ve read quite a few of these – magical realism is one of my favorite genres. It’s the perfect mind-bendy cousin to straight up fantasy.
I’ve read Like Water for Chocolate and it was amazing! Just thinking about it right now makes me want to re-read it. And One Hundred Years of Solitude is also an excellent book, but it gets a bit confusing because of all the characters. At some point I just gave up and didn’t even bother trying to tell them apart.
As for other magical realism books, I would recommend The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.